Eisenhower warned us about the dangers of a bloated military; we have room to cut: letter to the editor

After World War II, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, warned against the formation of an industry built upon the military, which he termed the "military-industrial complex." The annual U.S. military budget now approaches $1 trillion and far exceeds the total of the next 10 countries' budgets combined. In fact, this is greater than the rest of the world's combined military budgets. This is 25 percent of the national budget.

As a result, we have aircraft that are so expensive we are reluctant to use them in combat. Aircraft carriers deployed around the world, ready to use taxpayer money, eager to respond to the next international 9-1-1 incident.

There are over 5,000 nuclear weapons in the military's inventory. Do we really need that many?

Retired generals and officers have outrageous salaries and benefits that encourage a decadent lifestyle typified by the Gen. David Petraeus scandal -- all while our injured veterans have to just get by and face a life of suffering and frustrating appeals to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The former president also went on to say that a country that responds to every conceivable threat will soon go broke. That's where we are -- broke. Not because of social programs but because of a bloated military budget.

Now is the time to make serious cuts to the military budget and use some of the monies and manpower for rebuilding America and taking better care of veterans.

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